Treatment of infants with deformational plagiocephaly with cranial remodeling bands has become a standard of care in the United States. Cranial Technologies, Inc the assignee of the present invention pioneered this treatment.
Cranial Technologies, Inc. has further carried forward with its pioneering efforts by the development of an image capturing system that captures three-dimensional images of the entirety of the surface of an object, in general, and the entirety of the surface of a subject's head, in particular. The Cranial Technologies, Inc. image capturing system is described in the above-identified patents and application.
Cranial Technologies, Inc. recognized that any imaging system to be used in a clinical setting had to be robust, easy to use, and easy to calibrate and maintain without the need for hiring additional technical staff to run the equipment. Image acquisition, processing, and viewing of the data had to be performed in substantially real time in order to ensure that no data was missing before allowing the patient to leave the office.
The Cranial Technologies, Inc. image capturing system captures accurate three-dimensional images of objects and is configured such that the object having its image captured does not have to be stationary or fixed in one particular orientation. The Cranial Technologies system captures a three-dimensional digitized image of the entirety of the surface of an object even though the object may move in a generally non-predetermined manner within a predetermined space. A sequence of instantaneous three-dimensional images may be captured to provide a movie of the object as it moves.
The Cranial Technologies, Inc. system utilizes a plurality of image capturing device groups. Each group comprises a plurality of image capturing devices arranged as a module. The image capturing devices define a space wherein an object may be disposed. The object is movable within the space. The image capturing device groups are positioned such that: each group is positioned to capture a group of first images of a corresponding surface portion of the object. Each group of first images captures a substantially different surface portion of the object disposed within the space.
In one embodiment of the Cranial Technologies, Inc. system each group includes digital cameras and a projector that projects random infrared patterns onto the object to instantaneously capture a 360° full surface image of the object. The image is acquired in 0.008 seconds and processed for viewing in software. The data acquired is viewable on a display or printed out as a point cloud, wire frame, or surface, on which a digital photograph (i.e. texture) is automatically overlaid. A texture overlay of the object may be provided. The use of a texture overlay permits advantageous visual confirmation of the object, or in the case of a subject, the identity of the subject.
The Cranial Technologies, Inc. system comprises a plurality of groups of hardware that is supported on tripod structures that are individually positioned and adjusted to predetermined positions relative to each other.
Although the Cranial Technologies, Inc. system is highly effective, it is desirable to provide a structure for the system that requires ensures accurate and consistent imaging from installation to installation by providing physically consistent placement of the imaging devices and further does not require periodic physical adjustment to maintain the placement.